Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Overview of respiratory complications such as hemoptysis, hiccups, laryngectomy and tracheostomy troubleshooting, airway obstruction, pneumonitis, and pleural effusion management

Key Learning Points

1. 1. Clear British Thoracic Society guidelines exist for optimal management of a pneumothorax.

2. 2. Different techniques exist for chest drain insertion, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

3. 3. Chest drains must be secured adequately, otherwise they will fall out.

4. 4. Be careful to avoid re-expansion pulmonary oedema.

5. 5. Always send samples if a fluid is drained.

Lung ultrasound is a point-of-care test particularly well suited to diagnose pneumothorax, pleural effusion, pulmonary edema, and consolidation. In the operating room setting imaging can establish a baseline for comparison to maximize confidence in later examinations displaying new pathology. In conjunction with cardiac and IVC ultrasound, the etiology of hypotension can be ascertained as hypovolemic, distributive, and cardiac. In addition, even more basic assessment regarding volume status and fluid responsiveness is improved. Ultrasound can be used to guide, confirm, and localize tracheal tube placement. In the postoperative setting pulmonary ultrasound can facilitate clinical decisions regarding weaning patients from mechanical ventilation and the need for ICU admission.